Ethan Heller is a psychedelic rock and funk guitarist/vocalist best known from The Snozzberries.

The Snozzberries are a hi-energy psychedelic rock band based in Asheville, NC. Since their formation in fall of 2017, The Snozzberries have quickly gained notoriety for their electrifying live performances where melodic songcraft is interwoven with wild improvisation and technical wizardry.

Their infectious grooves have taken storm across the region, with 2019 highlights including Sweetwater 420 Festival, Resonance Music & Arts Festival, Warren Haynes Xmas Jam-By-Day, Dark Star’s Pisgah Jubilee, and many more. The Snozzberries hosted official afterparties for The Disco Biscuits, Lotus and Papadosio. The band also tours extensively, mesmerizing audiences across the states with their esoteric fusion of old-school rock with modern psychedelia.

The Snozzberries debut album “This Is Now” was released in April 2020. It was recorded at Grammy award winning Echo Mountain Recording in Asheville, NC. The record was produced by Josh Blake, mastered by John Keane, and features album artwork by Josh Levy.

https://www.facebook.com/ethanhellermusic/

https://www.thesnozzberriesmusic.com/

Austin, Texas transplant, Peggy Ratusz has been pulling from the cream of the Asheville music crop since moving here in 2002. This “ruby throated” chanteuse and her band won their way regionally to compete in the prestigious International Blues Challenge held in Memphis each year in 2008, 2010 and 2016. Voted “Best in Blues” for 9 of the past 12 years, in 2016, she won in 2 additional categories: Best Vocalist and Local Artist Who Gives Back. She’s opened for Tedeschi-Trucks Band, Geoff Atchison, Danielle Nicole Band, Karen Lovely, Taj Mahal and the Beach Boys. This dynamite configuration with Kelly Jones on guitar, Jay Hoots on drums and Bob Songster on bass will set the stage on fire from slow ember to full alarm!

Playin’ it forward is her motto as evidenced by her many collaborative and philanthropic productions over the past 20 years, benefitting local musicians and charities.

A very hip Tribute to Tom Waits, A neo-beatnik songwriter who grew weirder and wilder in the ’80s, earning a cult following that only grew larger as the years passed. Presented by Jonathan Pearlman and Alien Music Club.

Alien Music Club is essentially an on-going studio project conceived and produced by Jonathan Pearlman (JP) of Asheville, NC.

Jonathan Pearlman is a veteran of the Asheville, NC Music Scene, having performed hundreds of shows in and around the area over a period of decades.

http://www.alienmusicclub.com

https://www.instagram.com/AlienMusicClub_JP/

http://www.facebook.com/AlienMusicClub

Over two decades and 11 albums, Jess Klein—who possesses what MOJO calls “one of those voices you want to crawl up close to the speakers to listen to” has pursued a remarkable creative evolution that’s seen her dig ever deeper for resonant emotional insights, while continuing to refine her eloquently melodic, effortlessly accessible song-craft.  Jon Pareles of The New York Times calls her “a songwriter with a voice of unblinking tenacity…who finds parables in the everyday and also finds humanity behind the archetypal.” 

Klein has performed to rapt audiences at the Newport Folk Festival, Winnipeg Folk Festival, Fuji Rock Festival in Japan and packed houses in notable listening rooms like Joe’s Pub, NYC, The Borderline in London, Club Passim in Boston and Fogartyville in Sarasota, FL. She has appeared on Good Morning America and NPR’s All Things Considered and has toured across the US, Europe and Japan on her own and with such artists as Arlo Guthrie, John Fullbright and Carlene Carter. 

The Rochester, NY native began writing songs as a college student in Kingston, Jamaica, and is known for staking out brave lyrical and musical territory with such albums as Wishes Well Disguised (1998), Draw Them Near (2000), Strawberry Lover (2005), City Garden (2006), Bound to Love (2009), Behind A Veil (2012) and Learning Faith (2014) which Folk Radio UK calls “Unquestionably the finest album of her impressive career.”  Jess spent eight years soaking up the live music culture of Austin, TX. Bootleg (2015) Jess’s live, full band album captures the dynamism of Jess onstage, backed by some of Austin’s top players.  Jess was named a 2015 Finalist in the highly regarded Kerrville New Folk Competition. 

Jess’s spoken word piece, Chicken Soup, written in 2017 after the Jewish cemetery where her grandparents are buried was vandalized, has received standing ovations at her performances across the U.S. and Europe and is slated for a special re-release in summer of 2022.  Her 2018 song New Thanksgiving Feast, was featured in No Depression‘s fall 2022 issue in an article exploring the complex relationship between Thanksgiving and the violent history of American agression against Native Americans. 

In 2016, Jess and her husband, songwriter Mike June moved to tiny but vibrant Hillsborough, North Carolina where she recorded 2019’s Back to My Green.  Americana UK raved, “When bluesy, gospel-infused fires can be found in the same broad church as soothing, maternal words to the wise, then here is a singer- songwriter who has found not only her place in her world, but also one for all those new arrivals on the scene to look up to.” 

North Carolina has also proven to be fertile ground for a number of new collaborations for Jess, including singing Jazz & Great American Songbook Standards with her backing band, The Berlin Brothers, as well as The Halfbacks, a joint project with her husband Mike June, and most recently, joining North Carolina legend Jonathan Byrd on bass guitar and harmonies. 

Jess brand new solo album, “When We Rise,” is due out in 2023.

https://jessklein.com/

https://www.facebook.com/jesskleinmusic

https://www.instagram.com/msjessklein/

Rainy Eyes (Irena Eide) is a Norwegian-born Americana singer-songwriter. She re-located from California to Louisiana in 2020. Rainy Eyes has been writing music, performing and touring throughout the US for the past decade, both solo and with a band her performances have a spellbinding, inspiring effect and a soulful, heartfelt and timeless sound with tight-knit harmonies, melodious solos, and thoughtful songwriting. The Rainy Eyes Band features all-star Louisiana musicians Chris Stafford on electric guitar, Ian Guidroz on bass and Ethan Brasseaux on drums.

Rainy Eyes 2nd solo album is set to release in 2023, recorded by Jeremy D’Antonio and Dirk Powell. Mixed, mastered, co-produced and featuring Dirk Powell as well as local Louisianan musicians such as Dirk Powell, Chris Stafford, Eric Adcock, Ric Robertson, Bill Smith, Gina Leslie, Phoebe Hunt, Sam Grisman, Amelia and Sophie Powell.

Rainy Eyes has played with legendary artists such as Joan Baez, Willie Watson, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Peter Rowan, Dirk Powell, Laurie Lewis and has opened for bands like JD McPhearson, Willie Watson (Old Crow Medicine Show, Dave Rawlings Machine), Peter Rowan (Bill Monroe, Old and In The Way), Hubby Jenkins (Carolina Chocolate Drops) Jackie Greene (Black Crows), Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Jon Cleary, Patterson Hood (Drive-By Truckers), The Motherhips and more; and has played such as SXSW (Austin), House of Blues (New Orleans), HIPNIC festival (Big Sur), The Chapel (San Francisco), Hotel Cafe (Los Angeles), Triple Door (Seattle), Sweetwater Music Hall (Mill Valley), Terrapin Crossroads (San Rafael), Moe’s Alley (Santa Cruz) Henry Miller Library (Big Sur), Ashkenaz (Berkeley), Freight and Salvage (Berkeley), Far West Fest (Point Reyes), Sonoma Mountain Music Festival (Petaluma), Lagunitas Brewing Company (Seattle), UC Berkeley Redwood Summer Concert Series, Sweetwater Music Festival, Axe and Fiddle (Eugene), Sam Bonds Garage (Eugene), Eddie’s Attic (Atlanta) and many more.

Rainy Eyes also won “best song of the month” at the Freight and Salvage West Coast Songwriters competition in April 2015 for her song Moon In The Mirror, and has co-written two songs with grammy-award winning Peter Rowan. These songs are featured on her solo debut album released on August 2nd, 2019 produced by Eli West (Cahalen Morrison and Eli West) and also featured on banjo, guitar and harmonies and Amy Scher on fiddle and harmonies and Irena on guitar and lead vocals.

Southern rock meets jam band meets Americana with The Late Shifters, a passion-driven, band of friends, playing back holler rock-n-roll from Asheville, North Carolina.

The Late Shifters have found a way to express their love for the Appalachian region and its rich environment and culture through amplified and electric sound. They are motivated and influenced by bands such as the Drive by Truckers, Neil Young and Crazy Horse, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and the Grateful Dead, as well as songwriters like Jason Isbell and John Prine. These guys can put a stylistic spin on a classic rock cover and also entertain with one of their many, crowd-pleasing originals.

Recently, the band has been focusing their energy into the development and production of their  original songs and into fine-tuning their unique, yet familiar sound. They have drawn enthusiastic crowds and won over new listeners with their energy and smiles from the stage. With studio recordings in the works, these five, hardworking, hard-playing family men have brought together their individual talents from various musical backgrounds and shared phases of life. The Late Shifters have been playing around the corner and around the campfire for years, and chances are, if you’ve spent time in Western North Carolina, you probably know at least one of them.

https://www.facebook.com/thelateshiftersband/

“His music is infused with just the right amount of outside-Texas experiences…Balmer shouts like the ghost of Muddy Waters…Whether it be the laid-back folk of “Road Goes Backwards” or the simmering blues of the title tune, there’s not a bum track in the bunch. Honky-Tonk Macbeth is one of those pleasant oddities that pops up now and then, an effort that brims with clever ideas matched with top musicianship.” – Darryl Smyers, Texas Music Magazine

https://www.benbalmer.com/

The ECD sound has been reshaped with original songs and choice covers ranging from jammy psychedelia to full-force rock. Look for East Coast Dirt’s album, “Polarization”, now on Spotify and other streaming services.

facebook.com/eastcoastdirt

instagram.com/eastcoastdirtofficial

soundcloud.com/ec3asheville

Whether you’re looking for laid-back sophistication or soul-shaking groove, MOOD RING captures and reflects a spectrum of sounds and emotions to make your event unforgettable.

Their diverse musical offerings include many radio hits from the 90s/2000s as well as classic R&B, soul, and vintage jazz, and an ever-increasing range of styles from Brazil, France, and most recently, Cuba.  Silky smooth vocals can gently float around the room for background ambiance, and the band is always ready to launch into their signature driving grooves when it’s time to party.

Cynthia leads the band on mandolin and vocals, and the group is available as a trio (with guitar and bass), quartet (trio + drums), quintet (quartet + piano), or sextet (quintet + saxophone or quartet + saxophone and trumpet).

In her 5 years in Asheville leading and playing in many diverse musical groups, Cynthia has has asserted herself as a must-see performer in the region.  Her latest project, MOOD RING, can be found weekly at several local favorite venues such as The Foundry Lounge, The Lobster Trap, and 5 Walnut.

Original classic-style country and honky tonk full of heart and soul, laced with wit and woe. Bringing fire and feeling to the age-old stories of heart break, love,and victory for the underdog. Hearts Gone South shoots straight from the hip with impassioned vocals, a tight rhythm section, and smoking leads, to hit their target dead on.
Shining like diamonds in a rhinestone world.

https://www.instagram.com/heartsgonesouth/?hl=en

The Scatterlings are a four-piece acoustic/Americana band based in Asheville, North Carolina. The members share a fondness for songs about heartbreak, whiskey, and killings, although they promise they are actually all very peaceful people. Many of their original songs offer masterful personal storytelling, while others are steeped deep in local history.

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Elfy Kornfeld – vocals & baritone ukulele

Terrell Jones – harmonies & upright bass

Brad Pope – guitar & mandolin

Kevin Gary – mandolin, guitar & fiddle

https://www.thescatterlingsband.com/

https://www.facebook.com/TheScatterlings

https://www.instagram.com/the_scatterlings/

Lazybirds is a classic American roots band from the mountains of North Carolina. Specializing in good time music that is just about impossible not to move to, there is also a depth to the band that faithful fans have treasured over the years. According to the legendary Doc Watson, “Lazybirds play a good variety of blues, jazz, and that good old ragtime sound, and you will hear the flavor of that in anything they play.” The ‘Birds cover a lot of musical ground, from early American stringband music to Dylan classics, as well as classic sounding originals, but deep roots are what hold all of these sounds together.

https://lazybirds.net/

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057855237273

https://www.instagram.com/lazybirdslive/?hl=en

The Jamie Hendrickson & Datrian Johnson Acoustic Quartet brings a night of Appalachian Soul featuring classic covers, reworked contemporary hits and more. Featuring the lead vocalist and lead guitarist for local psychedelic soul legends The Fritz this is a world class band in an intimate environment.

https://www.thefritzmusic.com

https://www.instagram.com/thefritzmusic/

https://www.facebook.com/thefritzmusic

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=500042830

From the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina, Velvet Truckstop is a seasoned powerhouse that delivers a high-energy mix of Southern Rock and jam fueled Cosmic Americana every time they take the stage! VT has recorded / performed live with many notable musicians; including Tom Constanten ( Grateful Dead) , Ike Stubblefield (Frank Zappa, Jerry Garcia Band) Artimus Pyle (Lynyrd Skynyrd) and John Keane ( Widespread Panic) . Following the success of their first full-length album, “Sweet Release” (voted No. 5 on WNCW’s Top 20 regional charts), they went on to command stages at top events; including multiple performances at SXSW in Austin, Texas; the Warren Haynes’ Christmas Jam (2009- 2019 ) and the French Broad River Festival ( 2019 ) After extensive touring throughout the East Coast, the band cut their second album, “Southbound and Down” , produced by Johnny Sandlin ( Allman Brothers / Widespread Panic) in Muscle Shoals AL. Velvet Truckstop is happy to announce their third album ” Reckless Abandon ” will be released in 2023. Band Members are : Jamie Dose (guitar / vocals), Josh Gibbs ( Lap steel / Guitar and vocals ) Will Nicholson ( bass ) and Jor Sutton ( drums ).